How does Daniel van den Nouweland (31), commercial director of Marjoland, envisage the future of this large rose-growing company? "I and my family consciously chose not to move abroad but to stay here because there are enough opportunities here."

Daniël feels it is very important to think in the long term.
"The aim should not be to squeeze everything out of the plant.
Rather, the plant must remain healthy in the long term and grow
well. The bottom line is, the returns are ultimately better. A
long-term vision is important to get everyone facing forward. In
rose cultivation, you encounter competition every day. That is why
it is essential to deliver a top-quality product."

Switch to digital

The roses from Marjoland primarily supply the top end of the
market. Eighty percent finds its way to the florist, and a portion
to kiosks and supermarkets in European countries. "I sell some of
our product via the link in our webshop, and via Auction Presales
in FloraMondo. Many of our customers have already switched to
digital," added Daniël.

Offering buyers more

"The future of this company lies here in the Netherlands. A few
years ago, I discussed with my family whether we should move
everything to Kenya and start over there. We didn't do it in the
end, because centralisation is the way of the future for Marjoland.
Bleiswijk has been sold, and now we are located only in
Waddinxveen. Afterwards I outlined a vision with our team of where
we should go from here. Our assortment of roses has been expanded,
and that is best for the buyers as we can offer them more. Buyers
are comfortable making smaller-scale purchases as a result."

Circle of influence

Positioning of the product is also immensely important. The
packaging and the housestyle have been modernised, which has
improved the brand recognition. Daniel refers to the circle of
influence of Covey. "What do you have no control over? The exchange
rate worldwide and the weather. What can you influence? Exactly,
the quality. All decisions taken here are based on quality. It must
be good and remain good. Then you can be a top company."